New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-25
T11RKISH CRAFTSMANSHIP.
.rccrssFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
eoO' AMERICAN MINISTER.

.ome s. 000.OOO remains 10 DC maue up now 10
A. tbis is the question that seeks solution. The
.,,na,,op IS not at all a bad one when we rewem-
49, the tremendous deficits Of past years In fact
srs financial successes of the present Snltan
.,.atly to his credit. 1t is most difficult for the
Wsstern mind to grasp tue possibility Of accom-.
n,,sh,ng what is done every year In the matter of
..splts with the feeble resources of this Empire.
pnt il is certain that the Empire is stronger fnan
ially than it was before the war, and is able to do
almost anything that needs to be done from this
,.ason The selt-denial as we'll as states
,ranship required OF an Eastern sovereign
Tho would have money In pocket at any
time for other than personal objects Is
very great That the present Snltan should
have brought his country out of hopeless bank
r,ptcy into anything near state Of financial eQu.
ubrium is o token that he possesses both of these
oualities He Is often spoken of IN q sighting
manner. Sometimes the mistakes that occur seem
20 warrant all the worst that be said. But it
esnnot be denied that the present reign has pro-
Auced results in tho improvement Of the condition
Of the country which other recent reign can
show. Asiatio Turkey has been furnished with
very fair roads. Many financial abuses have be-
sun TO disappear. The number of Turkish
chant steamers has very largely increased aud their
quality improved. Scme serious steps have been
taken In improving the courts and the admnstra-
zion of justice. Aud moro than all, the ndepen-
dence of tho Empire from Turkish control or inter
ference in its internal affairs has been we'll de-
q Tended. Turkey Is stronger to-day than at any
time In twenty years past
There are many things to take from the COM
pleteness Of any picture of the prosperity of Tur-
Key. The people are in many places without the
least hope of personal progress in wealth. The bn-
eands have possession of of the best routes of
commerce in the interior But even here the Sui
Ian has lately sent out orders that have resulted in
0 perfect battue of those highway robbers who
have been most impudent in their operations In
two months past a score have been shot aud three
times many captured at their avocation.
The state of of the provinces even
now borders on famine. and some of them
sre really in the midst of starvation. But
q ese things are necessary facts where the peo-
nis yet too ignorant TO be aids to their sover-
e'sn IN any endeavOrs for good.
The reports from the province of Adana. wher
thsre was complete failure of the crops this year,
ore discOuraglng. recent traveller in that prov
xnee describes the multitudes that one sees as IN
sbe most abjeot want. In tho town of Sis, in the
Taurus Mountains, the Governor had a register of
$4,000 people VINO needed bread and he sent to the
capital of the province Adan0 for help. The
authorities there sent him some flour. but q good
part of 1t was sold to pay the muleteers who
Brought IT, and it not long before the people
4 -.Toeabe names aud demanding bread In spite
- a.. fact that the people are at the point of star
the tax-gat herers pressing them tor
.xes In several cases when men went TO
She Government house to beg food they were
thrust into prison for Of taxes Fifteen men
IN one batch were thus marched off to prison for
taxes when neither they nor their families had
bre d to eat. In one village man who was called
upon for taxes had already sold off everything to
a. ,a1
logged until he would consent to sell his COW for
sic means TO pay the tax. The COW brought -
which the tax gatherer seized, and three da, later
the poor yllager died from the effects OF the Hog
g1ng that he had received.
The Rev. Mr. Montgomery. an American MISSION
AIRY in AdaDa. has been keeping alive some 1Z.OoO
persons by means of funds contributed for the snf
ferers by friends in America and England. 1t takes
but SIS to support ten persons for month in that
region. But the Governor has received an
Imperial order to the effect tnat MIR. Montgomery be
reuulred to cease his relief work The resulting sui
ferlnC as the winter comes on is horrible TO contem
plate. The of this singular order Is supposed
to be the fear that such aid 10 the starving may
give the American too large place IN tho popular
favor In MANY parts of Asia Minor all the APP
proved methods were used to prevent the oc-
curreDce of harm from the drouth In the vicinity
of Cesarea for instance the local authorities had
lack certain feather found in the plumage OF the
rooster which he nses to hinder ram. man who
had made a cradle out of dough 10 amuse his chill
dren was promptly put i'll prison for thus throwing
contempt on the breadstuifs which would lack II
the drouth continued Whether the same vigilance
was observed In Adana OF not is not evident
Cesarea escaped the famine. however. and Adana
did not hence it is TO be supposed that the local
officials neglected their duty In tins regard.
The negotiations for the Asatlc Turkey railways
have fallen through, owing to some conditions
added by the Military Staff to the Convention
originally signed. The most Objectionable OF these
conditions was one which gives the Government
the right 10 purchase the road in thirty years from
the date of the concession. 20 we are 10 wat
further season before can take the train Tor
Bagdad IN our city.
MIR. Straus the American Minister here. has won
the good opinion of his compatriots by the common
sense way in which he goes about the business Oh
the Embassy. He has the respect OF his coiIeaenes
as we'll. OF course there are come people III me
community who are entirely unable to see that any
good thing can come out of Nazareth. and who
v.pld like TO look down him because he Is
Jew. This objection Of race has not happily any
weight with the Government officials. lher hearts
Mr. Straus seems TO have won by telling theh I'D
substance that If they have any claim against
Americans which is just, he vii SEQ thaI lno' ha'o
their dues without tho need OF pressure Out 'na'
on the other hand If they make demands OF Aneri-
cans unjustIy. they will not get their wish by any
amount of force The farkness OF such sIa'o-
ment OF principle wins the Turk
In the case of a violation OF treaty reuiatiohs III
Smyrna. where the Turks violated the domlcne oi
an American citizen, Mr.. STRAINS went to the Orahu
VIzier to tell him that 1T was case which wouIo
have 10 be redressed. 81 como 10 you as irenu
he said IL tell you this before do anything OH
cially that you right this wrong before write
IN Washington aboutit." There some attempt
TO make delay, and the Minister merely said; 1T